Arno Merk secured his spot at the 2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship following a hard-fought 8-6 victory over Daniel Klose in Friday's HYLO PDC Europe Super League final in Hildesheim.
Merk will make his World Darts Championship debut next month after celebrating his maiden PDC Europe Super League title, sealed with a dramatic win over former Tour Card Holder Klose.
The 33-year-old produced a host of impressive displays to triumph on home soil at Halle 39, winning nine of his ten round-robin games earlier in the week, before overcoming Kevin Troppmann, Yorick Hofkens and Jarod Becker in the knockout stages.
Merk landed a stunning 167 checkout to complete a 6-4 victory over Troppmann in the last 16, and he defeated Hofkens by the same scoreline in Friday’s quarter-finals, aided by a superb 99.66 average.
The German continued his charge with a 7-2 demolition of Becker in the semi-finals, although he was forced to fend off a late rally from Klose to take the title and confirm his Alexandra Palace bow.
Merk opened his account with a sensational 152 finish in leg two of Friday’s showpiece, before reeling off four consecutive legs to surge into a commanding 5-2 lead.
Klose - a former Players Championship runner-up - responded by winning four of the next five legs to restore parity at six apiece, only for Merk to follow up a clutch 116 checkout with a 15-dart hold to take the title.
Having registered a brace of ton-plus averages in the round-robin phase, Klose was rarely troubled prior to his showdown against Merk, defeating Tim Scholz, Mika Donnevert and Liam Maendl-Lawrence in the knockout stages.
Maendl-Lawrence - a former European Tour qualifier - swept aside Michael Klonhammer 6-2 in the quarter-finals, while Becker booked his place in the semi-finals with a deciding-leg success against two-time champion Dragutin Horvat.
2025 Hylo PDC Europe Super League
Friday November 7, Hildesheim
Quarter-Finals
Daniel Klose 6-1 Mika Donnevert
Jarod Becker 6-5 Dragutin Horvat
Liam Maendl-Lawrence 6-2 Michael Klonhammer
Arno Merk 6-4 Yorick Hofkens
Semi-Finals
Daniel Klose 7-3 Liam Maendl-Lawrence
Arno Merk 7-2 Jarod Becker
Final
Arno Merk 8-6 Daniel Klose